PEOPLE ON WAR The People on War Report ICRC worldwide consultation on the rules of war Report by Greenberg Research, Inc. EVEN WARS HAVE LIMITS EVEN WARS HAVE LIMITS EVEN WARS HAVE LIMITS EVEN WARS HAVE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS About the People on War project To mark the 50th anniversary of the modern Geneva Conventions (on 12 August 1999), the ICRC launched its People on War project with the aim of building greater respect for fundamental humanitarian principles. At centre stage is a worldwide consultation giving the general public a chance to air their views on the many facets of war. The idea was that civilians and combatants alike would be able to share their experiences, express their opinions on what basic rules should apply in war, discuss why those rules sometimes break down and look at what the future holds. With this in mind, the ICRC commissioned Greenberg Research, Inc. to design a research programme that would enable people to be heard in the most effective way possible. Under the guidance of Greenberg Research, ICRC staff and Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers carried out this consultation in 12 countries (Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, El Salvador, Georgia/ Abkhazia, Israel, the occupied territories and the autonomous territories, Lebanon, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia and South Africa), conducting in-depth, face-to-face interviews, group discussions and national public opinion surveys. Surveys on the basis of a questionnaire only were conducted in a further five countries (France, Russian Federation, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States) in order to reflect these people’s perceptions of war. Greenberg Research analysts then prepared a series of Country Reports on the basis of the findings. The reports open up this new, important discourse to a wider audience, while remaining conscious of the need to protect the safety of all those who participated. By making this consultation public, the ICRC hopes to initiate a local and international debate on the humanitarian aspects of war - a debate that should be joined by the major political players, international and non-governmental organizations and aid specialists. Greenberg Research, Inc. Greenberg Research is an opinion research firm that has worked for over two decades to help organizations and leaders around the world advance their goals in the face of rapid change. It specializes in using advanced methods of opinion research - surveys, focus groups and in-depth interviews - to help form strategies for political parties, corporations and non-governmental organizations. Greenberg Research has extensive experience in Europe and the United States, but also in the Middle East, Asia, southern Africa and Central and South America. It has conducted research in war- torn, politically complex and remote settings. In its work for corporations and non-governmental organizations, it has explored a broad range of global issues, including landmines, genetic engineering, climate change, race and gender relations, trade and information technologies. The opinions expressed in this report are not those of the ICRC. The ICRC retained Greenberg Research, Inc. to design and oversee the People on War consultation. Greenberg Research compiled and analysed the results and is responsible for the content and interpretation. ICRC, Geneva, October 1999 The People on War Report Table of contents Executive summary iii The war on civilians 1 The civilian toll 2 Figure 1: Personal description of the war 2 Figure 2: The war experience 3 Total engagement 3 Figure 3: Whole societies 4 The reluctant conflicts 6 Women and combat 7 Figure 4: Populated villages or towns 8 Children 9 Figure 5: Child combatants 10 The global normative order 11 Figure 6: The normative focus 13 Qualifying the limits 13 Figure 7: Combatants and civilians 14 The basis for the norms 14 Figure 8: Basis for the norm 15 Geneva Conventions 18 Figure 9: Geneva Conventions 18 Figure 10: Knowledge of laws 19 Figure 11: Information matters 20 Figure 12: Impact of Geneva Conventions 20 The modern culture of war 22 Figure 13: Providing food and shelter 23 Figure 14: Deprivation 24 Figure 15: Consequence of attitudes 25 Landmines and other weapons 25 Figure 16: Landmines 26 Out of bounds 26 Explaining the breakdown of norms and conventions 28 Explaining the gap 28 Figure 17: Why combatants attack civilians 29 Figure 18: Circularity 34 Protection 37 The biggest role in protection 37 Figure 19: Biggest role 37 Prisoners in armed conflict 39 Figure 20: Imprisoned or under enemy control 39 Mistreatment of prisoners 40 Figure 21: While imprisoned 40 Obligations on the treatment of captured combatants 40 Figure 22: Obligations to captured combatants 41 Reciprocity and the passions of war 41 Figure 23: Wounded or surrendering combatants 42 War crimes 44 Figure 24: Punishment 44 Figure 25: What laws are based on 45 Figure 26: After the conflict 46 Figure 27: Who should punish wrongdoers? 47 International community 49 Figure 28: International peacekeeping forces 50 Figure 29: Intervention 54 Red cross or red crescent emblem 55 Figure 30: Emblem 55 Figure 31: Protect 56 Figure 32: Turn to for help 57 Turn to for help 58 France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States — permanent members of the UN Security Council 59 Protection of civilians 60 Figure 33: Combatants and civilians 60 Figure 34: Basis for the norm 62 Figure 35: Attacks on civilians 63 Limits on weapons 63 Figure 36: Weapons 64 Figure 37: Landmines 65 Treatment of prisoners 65 Figure 38: Obligations to captured combatants 66 Figure 39: Wounded or surrendering combatants 67 Geneva Conventions 68 Figure 40: Geneva Conventions 69 Figure 41: Laws 70 Figure 42: Impact of Geneva Conventions 71 War crimes and punishment 72 Figure 43: Punishment 72 Figure 44: After the conflict 73 International actors: military involvement and the UN 74 Figure 45: International peacekeeping forces 75 International actors: ICRC/Red Cross/Red Crescent and humanitarian organizations 76 Turn to for help 76 Figure 46: Turn to for help 77 Switzerland 78 Figure 47: Basis for taking sides 78 Figure 48: International intervention 79 Protection of civilians 79 Figure 49: Combatants and civilians 80 Figure 50: Attacking civilians 80 Limits on weapons 81 Figure 51: Landmines 81 Rights of prisoners 82 Treatment of prisoners 82 Figure 52: Rights of prisoners 82 Geneva Conventions 83 Figure 53: Geneva Conventions 83 War crimes and punishment 84 Figure 54: Punishment 84 International actors 84 Figure 55: Who should punish wrongdoers? 85 Figure 56: International peacekeeping forces 86 Annex 1: General methodology 87 Annex 2: Questionnaire for war-torn countries surveyed 90 Annex 3: Questionnaire for Security Council countries surveyed 103 The People on War Report Executive summary iii Fifty years ago, in the wake of a global war that seemed to know no limits, 63 countries of the world established the Geneva Conventions of 12 August, 1949 to further strengthen the protections afforded to combatants and civilians in times of armed conflict. The systematic extermination of populations, the deaths of millions of civilians and soldiers on the eastern front, the brutal occupation of countries in Asia and the destruction of whole cities from the air left a world determined to rein in the warriors and protect civilians. Today, 50 years after the adoption of the Geneva Conventions and more than 20 years after the adoption of two Protocols additional to the Conventions, the continued suffering caused by armed conflict has made all countries pause and wonder about their work. At the turn of the century, war dominates life in more than 20 countries across the world. At the end of the 20th century, civilians have moved to centre stage in the theatre of war, which in the past was fought mainly on battlefields. The fundamental shift in the character of war is illustrated by a stark statistic: in World War I, nine soldiers were killed for every civilian life lost. In today’s wars, it is estimated that 10 civilians die for every soldier or fighter killed in battle.1 Wars of the conventional type, involving clashes of regular armed forces across borders, still take a terrible toll across the globe. Witness the array of military forces that have joined the clashes between Iraq and Kuwait, Iran and Iraq, India and Pakistan, North Korea and South Korea, Ethiopia and Eritrea, or Israel and Lebanon. But war and armed conflict today are much more likely to rage in the wake of the withdrawal, collapse or uncertainty of state power and authority. These wars are less a clash of armies and more a struggle to assert control over areas or populations. In armed conflicts in countries as varied as Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Colombia, a culture of war has emerged which places civilians at the centre of the conflict. The great majority of present-day wars are waged across populated areas, sometimes in cities and villages. Combatants seek to displace, “cleanse” or exterminate whole ethnic or national groups; they seek the demoralization or control of people or territories. In many of these conflicts, simply put, war is a war on civilians. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been mandated by the 188 Parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to act on behalf of victims of armed conflict and to bring them protection and assistance. It does so by visiting captured combatants, reuniting families that have been torn apart by conflict, providing humanitarian relief to civilians, and disseminating information on the rules of war to soldiers and fighters. To mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC organized this worldwide consultation with people who have experienced war in the past several decades in order to find ways to protect them better in times of armed conflict.